Food safety in New Zealand

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File:Nose-licking cow near Okato.jpg
The dairy industry in New Zealand is a major sector of the economy. A "clean green" image cultivated by various sources gives foreign markets the perception of a high degree of food safety for New Zealand produce.

Food safety in New Zealand is a concern by the general public and the Government takes measures to regulate it. The estimated cost to the country in 2009 of the six foodborne illnesses campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, norovirus, yersiniosis, STEC and listeriosis was NZ$161 million.[1]

The Government launched an annual Foodsafe Week in 2007 to highlight food safety issues.[2]

Policy

The Food Act 1981 is the primary legislation for governing food safety in New Zealand and is administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, an amalgamation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Fisheries, and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (now all defunct).

Food Bill 160–2, drafted as a replacement for the Food Act, was introduced on 26 May 2010 to make some fundamental changes to New Zealand's domestic food regulatory regime. Primarily designed to drive an export led economic recovery for New Zealand, because the domestic food regulatory regime is the platform for exports.

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand develops food standards after consulting with other government agencies and stakeholders.

The Minister of Food Safety is Nikki Kaye.

Incidents

Major food safety incidents are rare but New Zealand was implicated in the 2008 Chinese milk scandal. Fonterra, New Zealand's largest dairy company, had a 43% stake in one of the affected companies. In another recent incident Fonterra found traces of DCD (2-Cyanoguanidine) in milk supplies. The levels were very low and attempts were made to prevent the test results from being reported in the media.[3]

Genetic engineering

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Main article: Genetic engineering in New Zealand

The safety of genetically modified foods and ingredients has often been questioned, particularly since the wide-scale discussion and protests in the early 2000s.

Pesticide residue

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Main article: Pesticide residues in New Zealand

Pesticide residues are generally low and are thought to pose no detectable threat to health.[4] The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand and the Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand claim that the 2010 results for pesticide residue are the worst ever.[5]

See also

References

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External links

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